One strike, you're out: The visa changes that could leave you facing a 10-year ban

New regulations introduced by the Federal Government which was changed recently to target anyone who submits incorrect information as part of an Australian visa application could be effectively barred from reapplying for a decade.

The previous penalty was only 12 months which is now replaced with a potential ban from making a new application for 10 years. The material targeted includes inaccurate statements, omissions of fact, or lodging bogus documents such as bank records, work experience claims or false English language proficiency scores.

An application lodged since November 18 may now be refused if fraud was detected on any earlier application made within the previous 10 years. This replaces a 12-month period that had applied to those who withdrew their application once notified of suspected fraud - a way to avoid a potential three-year ban if that visa was subsequently refused.

The measure covers a range of temporary visa classes, including student visas, family visas and skilled migration classes, as well as any applications made by members of a person’s family.

Therefore, it’s important for applicant’s to be cautious when completing their documents and make sure that all the information provided must be correct.